Downgraded

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services (S&P) on Tuesday downgraded the corporate credit rating of Chesapeake Energy Corp. to “BB-” from “BB” and said the outlook was “negative.” The ratings on related entities Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP and Chesapeake Oilfield Operating LLC also were cut because the units are so closely tied to the parent, S&P noted.

Tennessee downgraded Friday the Balancing Alert OFO that it had declared specifically for three meters (see Daily GPI, Oct. 21) to an Action Alert OFO until further notice.

Moody’s Investor Services downgraded the credit rating of the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). BPA goes to an “Aa1” rating from “Aaa,” impacting $6.3 billion in outstanding debt. The outlook was set at “stable.” Moody’s said the downgrade reflects BPA’s increased “hydrology and market price risk,” which has eroded its credit quality during the last several years. Financial reserves available to handle increased risk have dropped by 36% during the two-year period ending with fiscal year 2010, Moody’s said. The ratings agency said it expects the challenges for BPA to continue in the form of “low natural gas prices, sustained lower demand and increasing amounts of wind generation during BPA’s peak surplus energy sales season.”

It wasn’t as bad as it might have been. That was the most optimistic assessment of Hurricane Irene’s (gradually being downgraded) weekend cruise along the Atlantic Seaboard. Most points continued to weaken a bit Monday as the impact of lost power generation load along the East Coast was being felt, but residual pockets of high heat resulted in quite a few flat to higher numbers.

Moody’s Investors Service last Thursday downgraded the senior unsecured debt ratings of NGPL PipeCo LLC, parent of Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America (NGPL), to junk status (Ba1) from the lowest investment grade (Baa3) following FERC’s approval of a settlement of allegations that NGPL over-recovered its cost of service.

Moody’s Investors Service Thursday downgraded the senior unsecured debt ratings of NGPL PipeCo LLC, parent of Natural Gas Pipeline Co. of America (NGPL), to junk status (Ba1) from the lowest investment grade (Baa3) following FERC’s approval of a settlement of allegations that NGPL over-recovered its cost of service.

Though downgraded to a Category Three hurricane and still well out to sea, Hurricane Bill could regain Category Four status on Friday as it rolls over warmer ocean waters and on towards Bermuda, the National Weather Service’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Thursday.

Commodity price exposure dinged the rating on DCP Midstream LLC (DCPM) debt as Fitch Ratings downgraded the company’s senior unsecured debt and Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to “BBB” from “BBB+.” However, the ratings outlook was revised to “stable” from “negative.”

Commodity price exposure dinged the rating on DCP Midstream LLC (DCPM) debt as Fitch Ratings downgraded the company’s senior unsecured debt and Issuer Default Rating (IDR) to “BBB” from “BBB+.” However, the ratings outlook was revised to “stable” from “negative.”